REMEMBER the nursery rhyme, "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How does your garden grow?"?
Well, it came into my head last week when I read that Mary McAleese, formerly of this parish, described the teachings of the Catholic Church on homosexuality as evil.
Increasingly it would seem that the former President of Ireland has declared war on those who are charged to oversee the faith to which she says she remains committed.
Many ordinary church-going Catholics are perplexed by the recent remarks by Mrs McAleese.
Many non-Catholics are looking on bemused at this near-weekly handbagging.
Mrs McAleese was a much-respected president and many, including this writer, did what they could to have her elected when others called her a "ticking time bomb".
Mary McAleese was a genuine advocate for reconciliation. She also justly championed many liberal causes.
That said, during her 14-year term, she was noted for understanding the power of language and for the most part she chose her words with great care.
Not so now, as Citizen McAleese appears to be taking regular pop shots at the Church.
It seems that even Francis, the most liberal Pope of this era, is not beyond her sights.
Mrs McAleese, noted for her interest in Catholic matters, was sometimes affectionately referred to as 'Mary, Queen of the Gael'.
The Gaels have now changed and, so too, it seems have the gales that blow the sails of the former president.
Mrs McAleese even berated poor old Pope Francis for not responding to a letter which she had written to him.
There's a fine line between advocating reform and bandwagoning on a wave of populism.
Unfortunately, the Catholic Church as an institution is often slow, if not reluctant to reform. It is rightly cautious of faddism. It takes seriously its foundation on rock.
Soon, about three-quarters of a million people will make their way to see Pope Francis in Dublin and millions more will watch from home.
Ordinary Catholics are not overly worried about national opinion polls which say that the Church or the Pope should do X, Y or Z.
Unlike presidents or politicians, the Pope isn't in a popularity competition. The Church isn't run like Britain's got Talent.
There is some validity to the criticisms of Church governance made by Mrs McAleese.
Her dramatic accusation that it's an "empire of misogyny' resonates with many. The idea of convening a conference on family and excluding the voice of women within the Church is downright daft.
Women are integral to the Catholic Church as they are in all walks of life. Their voices and their leadership are necessary. And Mrs McAleese is right to point this out.
However, as a prominent voice, Mrs McAleese must also accept that others who share her faith but not her views have an equal right to disagree with her.
On the issue of gay rights, the Catholic Church is lamentably poor on delivery. At times the language used to address the issue by leading Church figures is patronising or, worse still, demonising.
If pastors can't find compassion in their language and by their acts then they are in the wrong job.
Mrs McAleese has always been a strong advocate for the Catholic Church. She represented Catholic bishops on several occasions, was feted in Armagh and Rome, lectured in a Catholic university and took to studying theology and canon law once retired.
On Church matters she sounds every bit as authoritative as any bishop or cardinal. And maybe that's her point.
As president in 2005, Mrs McAleese praised the late conservative Pope John Paul II for continuing the "work of his predecessors" and she went out of her way to praise "his unwavering commitment to the worth of each human life".
Mrs McAleese went on to have several meetings with the even more orthodox Pope Benedict XVI, even expressing a hope that he may visit Ireland.
And yet it is the reforming, humble and pastoral Pope Francis that is feeling the wrath of our former president.
Citizen McAleese knows her views as a former president are afforded more weight by the media.
She must know that her comments, however well intentional or aimed, also heap hurt on hundreds of thousands of Irish Catholics as they prepare for the forthcoming Papal visit.
She must also realise that her incendiary language may add fuel to the fire of the all too many critics of Catholicism.
Surely it is not beyond her grasp to make her arguments with the generosity that was the hallmark of her presidency?
